Mexican jazz singer brings gender equality on stage

Hong Kong was greeted with a delightful performance by Mexican jazz star Magos Herrera on the drizzling evening of 20 November. She made her debut in the city with a message of tolerance.

The concert, held at City Hall, featured an impressive quartet with guitarist Chico Pinheiro, drummer Alex Kautz, bassist Sam Minaie and songstress Herrera who showcased her talents by singing in Spanish, Portuguese and English.

Herrera and her team visited Hong Kong on invitation by the Mexican Consulate General in support of the UN Women’s HeForShe solidarity campaign to promote gender equality. On Monday 21 November, Herrera gave a presentation at the University of Hong Kong, the first university to sign up for the campaign. Proceeds of the concert will also help fund research on gender equality led by the university.

“We started planning this concert in the context of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Consulate of Mexico here in Hong Kong,” Damián Martínez Tagüeña, Consul General of Mexico said. “We sought to bring something that is a modern aspect of Mexico, something you wouldn’t normally get in Hong Kong.”

“The whole idea behind HeForShe is to make both men and women think about what each of us can do in our own daily lives to bring about gender equality. We hope that by bringing attention to the issue, by putting it to the forefront, people will think about it.”

Alex Fok is a Harbour Times journalist monitoring Hong Kong’s daily political scene and diplomatic updates. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics, Politics and International Studies from University of Warwick and his master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a former committee member of the Warwick-based Hong Kong Public Affairs and Social Service Society (WHKPASS) and was the chief editor of the society’s magazine – PASSTIMES.